


Disconnected

by jongdaekitten (orphan_account)



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5SOS - Freeform, AU, F/M, Psycho AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:56:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4251942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/jongdaekitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael Clifford is bipolar. He also has a terrible fear of being alone, and when he receives the news that his sister is moving away with her family, he ends up institutionalized, but not for long, because he escapes and goes to put his family back together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue (Eve's POV)

“Hi, Mikey, how was school today?” I looked away from my eight month old son, Greyson, to smile at my little brother, who had just come into the kitchen, where I was feeding Greyson.  
“Good,” He set down his bag and sat at the island, “She smiled at me today.”   
“Awesome!” I high-fived him, “Do you have a lot of homework?”  
“I have a little,” He shrugged, “Mostly just English though.”  
“Alright, you should try and get it done before dinner. Ashton said he wants to do something tonight. Probably another lame game night.” I rolled my eyes with a small laugh and took Greyson out of his high chair, putting the lid on the tupperware full of Cheerios.  
“I’m on it, coach.” Michael grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter, grabbed his bag, and walked upstairs.  
“What are we going to do with Uncle Michael, Greyson?” I carried him into the living room.  
\--  
“Michael, dinner!” I called up the stairs and rejoined Ashton in the dining room.  
“What are we having?” He asked, walking in and taking his seat.  
“I made homemade pepperoni pizza.” I smiled, cutting a slice.  
“Hell,” Michael looked over at Greyson, “I mean, heck yeah.”

“How were the music lessons today?” I asked Ashton, who was cutting small pieces of pizza for Greyson.  
“Good, one of the kids is getting so good at playing drums. She even made me this cute little thank you card.” He smiled, putting the plate of small pieces of pizza in front of Greyson. He got himself a slice and looked at Michael, “How was your day, Michael?”  
“Why the hell do you always have to ask that?” Michael suddenly raised his voice.  
“Michael, you haven’t been taking your medicine, have you?” I raised an eyebrow.  
“Why does it matter?” He crossed his arms, “You both don’t have to ask that fucking question all the time.”  
“First of all, watch your language around Greyson. Second, if you can’t control your mood swings by yourself, then you need the meds so you don’t get like this. I hate seeing you like this, I just want you to be happy and not have to deal with all of this.”  
“First of all, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. You’re not mom,” He looked up at me, “In case you forgot, she kinda died.”  
“Go to your room!” I suddenly shouted.  
“Whatever.” Michael mumbled and stormed upstairs. I looked down at my plate, suddenly not very hungry anymore. I bit my lip as a few tears fell onto the table.  
“Babe,” Ashton spoke up, “Are you okay?”  
I shook my head and started crying even harder. Ashton moved closer to me and pulled me into his arms, “I’m just so tired of this, Ashton,” I cried, “It’s so stressful for me, and he isn’t happy. I want him to be happy and have control over his emotions. I hate seeing him like this. I can’t do this.”  
“Maybe we should look into sending him somewhere to get help.” He suggested.  
“Yeah, okay. Just don’t tell him about it yet, wait until we find a place that looks good.” I pulled away from him and wiped a few tears from my cheeks. Both of us turned towards Greyson when we heard him giggle. His face was covered in pizza sauce and he continued to rub it in until he saw me smile, “Thanks, baby.” I reached over Ashton, who was wiping away a few of his own tears, and picked him up, wiping his face with my napkin.  
“Eve?” Michael’s quiet voice came from the doorway.  
I looked up and whispered, “Yes?”  
“I’m sorry I snapped at you and Ashton.” He looked down at his shoes.  
“It’s okay,” My voice softened, “I know you can’t really help it, but thank you for apologizing. Now come here and give me a frickin’ hug.” I smiled. Michael looked up and gave me a small smile before coming to hug me. When he pulled away, Greyson, who was now leaning against my shoulder to try and stand, pressed his sauce covered hands to Michael’s cheeks. I set Greyson back in my lap in less than a second, because I was half-afraid of how Michael would react, but was relieved to hear his laugh.  
\----  
“Hi, Mikey.” I smiled as he walked into the kitchen after school, “Anything interesting happen today?” I sat down with a cup of chai tea while Ashton gave Greyson the Cheerios.  
“Uh, she waved to me,” He set down his bag, “Not to sound mean, but why is Ashton home?”  
“Well, we actually have something to tell you.” I set down my mug, “And I thought we should both be here to tell you.”  
“Are we adding a member, or subtracting a member?” Michael asked.  
“Well neither really.” Ashton said.  
“Ashton, Greyson, and I are moving to Sydney.” I said quietly, watching Michael closely for any sign of how he was feeling, “And you’re...” I trailed off, then whispered to Ashton, “You tell him, I can’t.”  
“We think it would be best if you went somewhere where you can get help. We’re concerned about your mental health and--”  
“Why are you two concerned about me?” Michael stood up, “You’re obviously not concerned enough to not leave me! You’re just going to leave me like mom and dad did. I’m not going to let you do that. No, you’re not allowed to.” Michael was yelling by the time he finished. Greyson started crying due to the yelling, and Michael glanced at him before running upstairs.  
“He’ll be fine.” Ashton reassured me, rubbing my back, “He just needs a little time to process this.”  
“God, I hope so.” I sighed as Ashton tried to make Greyson stop crying. An hour later, Michael was still in his room, making so much noise that he could only be breaking stuff and screaming, and Ashton’s statement was proved wrong. I stood up, “I have to go talk to him.”  
“Are you sure?” Ashton looked up at me from a still crying Greyson.  
I nodded, “I have to do it, it’s the only chance he’ll calm down.” I walked upstairs and opened his door, “Michael?” I stood only a foot in the room. His room was a wreck. All the posters were torn down, his bed was most likely broken, and he had punched several holes in the walls.  
“Leave.” Michael said as he picked up a little league trophy, then threw it against the wall.  
“Michael, we need to talk.” I spoke a little louder, “We aren’t leaving you like mom and dad,” He started throwing CDs against the door to his closet, “We’re moving somewhere that you can fly to in an hour and a half. And we’re going to come see you. We aren’t leaving you. Ashton just got a new job offer in Sydney. And once you feel better, you can come live in Sydney with us.”  
“I want you to get out of my room, now.” He picked up a paperback book and threw it at the wall near me. It bounced off the wall and hit me in the back of the head. I chucked the book at his bed, where it landed with a small thud, and left his room.  
“What happened?” Ashton stood up when he saw the tears in my eyes and my hand on the back of my head.  
“He’s gone off the deep end, Ashton. He’s throwing and breaking anything and everything. A book bounced off the wall and hit me.” I sat down.  
“I’m calling the police.” Ashton got his phone out of his pocket.  
“Ashton, no. That’s my brother.” I put my hand on his hand that was holding the phone.  
“Yeah, and if one of us says one wrong thing, who knows what he’s going to do to us?” He moved his hand away from mind and dialed. I heard feet coming down the stairs, but Michael didn’t walk into the kitchen and I didn’t see him in the dining room. I walked to the door and looked in the living room. I didn’t see him on the couch, so I walked in the room to go check the guest room down the hall, but stopped when I saw his black and white dyed hair. He was sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room, back facing me. His frame was shaking slightly, he must be crying.  
“Michael?” I whispered. He just shook his head, “Michael, we need to talk about this.”  
“Go away.” He whispered. He sounded scared and upset and angry all at the same time.  
“Michael, please,” I pleaded, “You can’t keep doing this.”  
“Then just send me away already!” He rose his voice, “Get rid of me and go be a normal family!”  
“Michael, I--” I started but was cut off when I heard sirens.  
“You called the cops.” He whispered.  
“We didn’t have a choice. You forced our hand. When the book you threw hit me, yeah it didn’t hurt that bad, but I can’t have something happen to Greyson. And I can’t have you being like this at school.” I walked a little closer to him and tried to put my hand on his shoulder, but he tensed up when I did, so I dropped my hand. There was a knock on the door and both Ashton and I went to get it.  
“We got a call?” One of the cops asked.  
“Yeah, it’s my brother.” I sighed.  
“He’s just too violent for us anymore,” Ashton said it so I didn’t have to, “He needs to go somewhere to get help, but when we told him about it, he snapped. He broke just about everything in his room and hit her with a book.”  
“Alright,” The other cop nodded, “We’ll take him to the nearest mental hospital. If you could pack some of his stuff and bring it down some time today.” He turned to me with a sympathetic smile, “I’m sure he’ll be fine in no time.” We both moved out of the way so they could come in.  
“His name is Michael Clifford.” I told them. I went into the living room again, “Michael?” He turned so I could see the side of his face, stained with tears, but still red with anger, “These policemen are going to take you somewhere to get help. They’re very nice, I promise. Will you go with them?” He nodded and stood up, “I love you, okay? I’m doing this because it has to be done so you can get better.” He nodded again and I hugged him before the cops escorted him out the door. The second he got in the back of the police car, I shut the door and started crying, leaning against the door for support.  
“Eva,” Ashton walked over to me, “This is what’s best. He’s going to be okay.” He pulled me into his arms, “Everything’s going to be okay. And I know it’s going to be hard, but it would be easier on you if you just focused on us moving and on Greyson and your job, okay?” I nodded, my head still buried in his chest.  
“I think I should talk to Calum about this.” I whispered, referring to Michael’s only friend. I got out my phone and took a deep breath as Calum answered, “Hey, Calum. It’s Eve. I just thought you should know that Michael is going away for a while. He hasn’t been at his best lately, so he’s going to get help.”  
“That’s good,” He replied, “I’ve tried telling him he should go to a therapist or something.”  
“Yeah, so if you could come up with some other reason he isn’t going to be at school so he isn’t horribly embarrassed when he gets back, and if you could tell the principal, that would be great. Thanks.”  
“Yeah, no problem. Bye, Eve!” He said and hung up.  
“I’m going to go pack his stuff.” I sighed, putting my phone back in my pocket. I went up to his room and was surprised that his closet was the only thing in the room he hadn’t destroyed. I put as much of his clothes as I could in the suitcase he had behind his shoes and wrote him a note, which I put on top of everything. I zipped the suitcase and Ashton and I got in the car, putting Greyson in his car seat. When we got to the hospital, it was so uniform and white. All of the chairs in the waiting room were the exact same and were spaced so far apart. Someone with really bad OCD must have done it. I walked up to the desk, where there was a smiling, young nurse.  
“What can I help you with?” She asked me.  
“Uhh, my brother was checked in earlier by two policemen. I brought his clothes.” I held up the suitcase a little, “His name is Michael Clifford.”  
“Ahh, yes. You can leave it by that door and somebody will get it to him.” She smiled.  
“Can’t I see him? I want to say goodbye.” I asked after putting the suitcase where she told me to.  
“I’m sorry, we only have visitation on Saturdays from noon to four.” She kept smiling.  
“But I just want to hug him and say bye and that I love him.” I crossed my arms.  
“I’m sorry, ma’am, we can’t allow that.” Somehow she was still smiling, and I kind of wanted to punch her.  
“That’s a dumb ass rule.” I told her, then turned around and left, Ashton carrying Greyson behind me.


	2. Day 1 (Michael's POV)

“So, Michael,” Christine The Therapist said, “You’ve been here for a few days now. Would you like to tell me what brought you here? Why your bipolar disorder got as bad as it did?”  
“I watched my parents die.” I replied, messing with my shoelace.  
“You told me that was years ago. Is there anything more recent?” She raised an eyebrow.  
“Well, now the rest of my family wants to leave me.” I looked up at her.  
“So, you think that your parents died because they didn’t want to be around you anymore and that the rest of your family is moving because they don’t love you anymore?” She asked.  
“That’s not what I said!” I screamed, “Everyone in this damn hospital thinks they can help me, but they fucking can’t.”  
“Michael, we can help if you give us time. Your family isn’t actually leaving you, they’re just having their own life, being a family.” Christine tried to calm me down.  
“I’m part of that fucking family too.” I stood up and pushed my chair back, causing it to fall over.  
“I realize that, Michael, and so do they. But, your sister wants to have her husband and her son and have that kind of life. She would never actually leave you, from what you’ve told me about her.” She stood up as well.  
“Don’t assume things about my family before you’ve even met them.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. I studied Christine for a moment to see what she might do before deciding to shove her out of my way and run towards the door. I went back to my room and stood on my bed. I bent over, ripped some of the sheet apart, and wrapped it around my hand. I smashed open the high window above the bed and climbed through it. Once on the ground, I broke into a full sprint towards my home. My family was not leaving without me and no one was getting in my way. It took me just under half an hour to get to my home, only to be greeted by a moving van parked on the curb. I watched from across the street as Ashton helped the movers put boxes into the van. Eve was standing on the lawn, holding Greyson, their carry-ons for their flight at her feet. Ashton walked over to her as the van drove off.  
“Ready to go to the airport?” Ashton asked her.  
“Yeah.” Eve smiled, “Are you ready, Greyson?” She smiled at him. Greyson clapped his hands, then reached down towards Ashton’s, then clapped again until Ashton clapped with him. They all laughed and my eyes widened. They were happier without me. They were happy I was gone. I turned around and ran. I ran down the main street in town until I ran into another person.  
“Dude, I’m so sorry.” The boy mumbled.  
“Touch me again, and I will kill you.” I took a step closer to the boy. He looked up at me with wide eyes, then walked the other way. I continued to run until I found myself in another neighborhood. I heard the police sirens coming up behind me and looked around me for something to hide in. There was a car I vaguely recognized and I ran towards it, then I saw her. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and unlocked it while still on the front porch. There was something in her pocket she was looking for, but she couldn’t find it and went back inside. I ran up to her car and got in the passenger seat. She walked outside and I ducked down so she wouldn’t be able to see me. She opened the car door, got in, and started it. My hand was on the gear shift, so when she reached for it, she brushed my hand.  
“Jesus Christ, Michael.” She gasped, “What are you doing in my car?”  
“Drive.” I told her.  
“What? Where?” She asked.  
“Go, Blaire. Don’t ask questions.” I turned to her and she backed out of the driveway. The police sirens suddenly got louder and she pulled over as they whizzed by.  
“Michael, what he hell is going on?” She put the car in park.  
“Nothing you need to know,” I said, “And I told you, no questions.”  
“I’m not moving this car until you tell me what’s up.” She crossed her arms.  
“Nothing is fucking up!” I hit the dashboard, “Just take me to Sydney!” I yelled.  
“Oh my god,” She put the car in drive and kept going, “Can I ask why Sydney?”  
“There are some people there I need to see,” I replied, “Now stop with the damn questions.”  
\--  
“Are you hungry?” Blaire spoke up after about two hours.  
“Yeah, I could go for some food.” I shrugged from where I was leaning my head against the window.   
“Is, uh, is KFC okay?” She asked quietly.  
“Yeah, it’s fine.” I muttered.   
“Can I know why we’re going to Sydney yet?” She pulled into the parking lot.  
“I told you, I have to see some people.” I told her as she turned off the car, “They’re, uhh, they’re family.”   
“Alright, then I’ll go get food.” She got out of the car and walked in the store. I got lost in thought, thinking about how when Ashton first started going out with Eve, he always told us hilarious stories about when he worked at KFC as a teenager. I almost smiled, but then I remembered that Ashton was the reason Eve left in the first place. Ashton ruined my family, and I had to get it back, “Hey, I got you a famous bowl. I hope that’s alright.”  
“Yeah, uhh, that’s fine.” I blinked a few times, snapping out of my thoughts just enough to know what was going on around me.  
“Do you want to talk about anything, or should I shut up again?” She put the car back into drive.  
“I don’t have anything to say.” I told her, starting to eat.  
“So, am I allowed to talk then?” She asked.  
“Yeah, sure. Just don’t expect anything back.” I shrugged.  
“Okay so, this is probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever done. I don’t know why we’re going to Sydney, but it reminds me of this one time my sister and I-” I zoned out before she even started her story, “And that’s why my sister and I always call geese, ducks.”  
“Great.” I muttered.  
“What about you? Do you have any siblings?” She looked over at me, then back to the road.  
“I have an older sister. Eve.” I said.  
“How is she? Do you like her?” Blaire took a drink from her pop.  
“She’s nice. Well was.” I replied.  
“What happened to her? If you don’t mind me asking.” She looked back over at me.  
“I don’t want to fucking talk about it.” I gritted my teeth.  
“Are you sure? I might be able to help.” She smiled a little.  
“No one can fucking help me. Why the hell does everyone keep saying that?” I raised my voice, and she cringed.  
“I just wanted to help.” She whispered.  
“Well, the only way you can fucking help right now is by driving and staying quiet.” I yelled at her.  
“Sorry.” She mumbled and sped up. I looked out the window and thought about Eve. I just couldn’t believe that she forgot about me so fast. It was all Ashton’s fault, I was sure of it. He took my sister away from me, he probably talked her into sending me away, he was the one that called the police. And I was going to kill him for it.   
\--  
I woke up to Blaire digging around in the console of the car, “What are you doing?” I asked, sitting up all the way.  
“Calling my mom so she doesn’t freak out.” She pulled into a parking lot. I grabbed her phone out of her hand, rolled down the window, and threw it as hard as I could.  
“I wouldn’t suggest that.” I narrowed my eyes.  
“I just got that phone!” She yelled, “What the fuck, Michael?”  
“Don’t fucking do that,” I yelled back, “Now shut up and get back to driving!”  
“It’s one o’clock in the morning.” She put the car in park and crossed her arms, “I’m getting some sleep.”  
“As long as we’re there by tomorrow afternoon.” I crossed my arms.  
“I’m driving, so we will get there when I want us to get there.” She turned the car off and got out, “Now I’m getting a room. You can either sleep in the car or come sleep in the room.”  
“Trust me, you’ll want to get there tomorrow afternoon.” I got out of the car, “I’ll sleep in the room.”  
“I said, we’ll get there when we get there.” She walked into the hotel and got us a room, “In the elevator, now please.”   
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I muttered, but went to the elevator anyway.  
“But you did it anyway, genius.” She pressed the button to close the door.  
“Because I’m not walking up five flights of stairs.” I stared at the buttons.   
“What’s your damage, Clifford?” Blaire leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms.  
“You want the whole list or the top ten?” I raised an eyebrow.  
“I’ll start with the top ten.” She smiled, somewhat sarcastically.  
“Number one is we don’t have a change of clothes.” I smirked and walked off the elevator.   
“Wait, what?” She paused for a minute, then chased after me.  
“Two, I’m bipolar,” I continued, “Three, my sister just moved far away and left me.”  
“Wait, what are you talking about?” She put the keycard in the door and opened it, “Also do we need to go get clothes?”  
“I’m telling you my top ten problems,” I told her, “And yeah, I think I saw Target down the street.  
“You’re pretty lucky I got paid yesterday.” She turned right back around and walked out the door. I followed her and we got in the car, driving to Target, “What do you, uh, normally wear?”  
“Black skinny jeans and band shirts or flannel.” I replied.  
“Wow, original.” She rolled her eyes. She walked around the women’s section for a while, “Is this kidnapping?” She turned around while holding a skater skirt.  
“No, once I’m in Sydney, you just have to take me back to when I’m done. You can do whatever in Sydney, honestly.” I replied.  
“Yeah, but you kind of made me drive away against my will,” She picked up a Rolling Stones shirt, “What about this one?”  
“Good band choice.” I shrugged, “And it matches the black skirt.”  
“It’s a brown shirt.” She put the shirt back on the rack, then picked up a black AC/DC shirt, “This one?”  
“Uhh, yeah, sure.” I replied, “I don’t really do the whole fashionable thing.”  
“Can I at least call my mom?” She put the clothes in the basket she was carrying.  
“Only if you tell her that a friend of yours surprised you with a road trip to Sydney. I don’t want her to hate me if she doesn’t have to.” I gave in.  
“She doesn’t even know you,” She turned a corner, “Oh my god, this swimsuit is so cute.”  
“We aren’t going swimming.” I glared at her and took her hand, pulling her over to the men’s department, “Let’s just find something for me to wear and go.”  
“Fine,” She crossed her arms, “Pick out your stuff.” I grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans in my size, a Black Sabbath shirt, and a flannel that was one size too big, “No.” She took the shirt from me, “Don’t pick that.”  
“What’s wrong with it?” I crossed my arms.  
“It doesn’t match, they’re two different kinds of black.” She crossed her arms as well.  
“Ugh, just go find something that matches.” I groaned, handing her the jeans and the flannel.  
“Which one do you want?” She turned around with a shirt with the NASA logo and a Iron Maiden shirt.  
“Iron Maiden,” I replied, “The NASA shirt is more Calum than Michael.”  
“Who’s Calum?” She put the shirt in the basket.  
“My best -- and only -- friend.” I replied as we went to find socks and underwear, “You can just borrow the shirt I’m wearing for pajamas, save money.” I suggested.  
“Uh huh, saving money?” She laughed.  
“What?” I raised an eyebrow.  
“I’m sure that’s why,” She wandered back over to the swimsuits, “Not because you have a crush on me or anything.”  
“What the hell are you talking about?” I crossed my arms, “I just think it would be stupid to spend $40 on something you don’t need. And I barely even consider you a friend.”  
“Oh,” She grabbed the same swimsuit she was looking at earlier, “Guess I can buy this now.” She walked to the self checkout and finished paying, “What’s number four?”  
“Four, whenever I get angry, my nephew Greyson cries a lot, and it makes me feel like shit.” I told her as we walked to the car.  
“Babies cry all the time, Michael.” She tried to reassure me.  
“But he’s so happy the rest of the time is the thing.” I admitted as she unlocked the car.  
“When my baby sister was born she cried whenever our dad held her. That’s her dad, you can’t always make him cry, right?” She backed out of her parking spot and pulled out of the parking lot. I just shrugged as she drove back to the hotel, “You’re suddenly very open to sharing.”  
“Yeah, I’m bipolar. And possibly a little crazy.” I laughed bitterly.  
“Can’t you take medication for that stuff?” She asked.  
“No, I can’t.” I looked out the window.  
“Like you can’t, or no one can?” She pulled into the hotel parking lot.  
“I can’t.” I told her.  
“Why not?” She grabbed her shopping bags out of the back seat and walked straight back to the elevators.  
“Reasons.” I shrugged, getting in the elevator. Once the door shut, I walked over to her until I only had to whisper to get her attention, “Also, number five is, I’m off my meds, darling.”  
“Oh.” She whispered and looked down at our feet.  
“Look at me,” I told her a little louder than needed, “Do I look psychotic to you?” She opened her mouth to answer, but I cut her off, “Don’t answer that. I might not like the outcome.” The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, “Shall we?”   
“You’re crazy.” I heard her mumble.  
“I’m what?” I turned around.   
“I didn’t say anything.” She spoke up.  
“Don’t play stupid with me.” I walked closer to her, “Open the door.” She walked around me and went to the door and opened it, “What did you say I was?” I slammed the door.  
“I didn’t say anything.” She set her bags down on the bed.  
“That dumb blonde thing may work at school, but it doesn’t work with me.” I walked over to her so I was standing less than a foot away from her, “Now tell me what you fucking said.”  
“I said you were crazy.” She looked down again.  
I stepped closer until I was almost touching her, “I told you not to answer that, bitch.” My voice was deadly quiet.  
“But you just told me to answer it.” She defended herself.  
“Well, I don’t care. You said the wrong thing,” I looked down at her, “Now go to bed.”  
“You’re not my-” She took a deep breath, “Can I have your shirt?”  
“What?” I snapped, then looked at her again, “Yeah.” I pulled it off and handed it to her.  
“Thank you.” She walked over to her bed, “Six?”  
“Six,” I took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, before answering, “I don’t like my sister’s husband.” I lay down on my bed, on top of the covers, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Ashton makes Eve happy, but I just don’t have anything in common with him.”  
“Nothing at all?” She put on my shirt and lay down on her bed.  
“Nope,” I replied, “Just that we both care about Eve and Greyson.”  
“Why don’t you bond with him on that?” She yawned.  
“Because whenever he isn’t at work, they’re doing family bonding or whatever. Mum, dad, and kid only.” I rolled my eyes.  
“Why don’t you invite them to hang out with you sometime?” She looked over at me.  
“Because whenever I’m around, I feel like I’m their kid. It’s like they’re trying to replace mum and dad. It’s weird.” I told her.  
“Well, everyone needs those figures in their life. Maybe you could talk to them about it though?” She suggested, and yawned again, “Are you tired?”   
“Yeah, I guess.” I closed my eyes, “Night.” I muttered.  
“Don’t kill me in my sleep.” She laughed a little.  
“That would take all the fun out of it.” I chuckled.


	3. Day 2 (Michael's POV)

“Oww, fuck!” I yelled, due to the cut on my face from shaving.  
“Holy shit, what happened?” Blaire shot up from where she was asleep.  
“I cut my face while shaving.” I grumbled, throwing the razor down in the sink.  
“You don’t have to get all angry about it.” She fell back down in her bed.  
“It’s almost like you don’t know me.” I replied.  
“I don’t,” She sighed, “But I mean I thought you were going to kill me in my sleep last night and you didn’t so I know that much.” She sat back up, “Don’t listen to me first thing in the morning. I don’t make sense.”  
“I noticed.” I mumbled, putting on my new Iron Maiden shirt.  
“So, Sydney.” She got out of bed, “Why couldn’t you just get another family member to drive you?”  
“Because the only ones I have left are in Sydney.” I sat down on my bed again, putting on my shoes.  
“Why did you just get in my car, if I may ask?” She put her hair up and grabbed her skirt and shirt.  
“Like I said before, I’m bipolar and a little insane. Sometimes I just do things and I don’t even really realize what I’ve done until it’s over with.” I replied.  
“You just chose my car just because,” She stood up and I turned around so she could get dressed, “No other reason behind it?”  
“You were right there,” I shrugged, “Plus, you always seemed pretty nice at school, so you seemed like my best shot.”  
“Uh huh. You can turn around now.” She said and pulled on her shoes, “Breakfast?”  
“Yeah, sure.” I turned back around.  
“Well then, let’s go.” She opened the door and gestured for me to leave. We both got in the elevator, “So, we don’t see a lot of each other at school. What do you usually do? I’m kind of assuming we do opposite stuff.”  
“I usually just hang out at home or with Calum,” I shrugged, “Sometimes I like to take guns apart and put them back together.”  
“You just casually own guns?” She pressed the first floor button, “You’re insane.”  
“What did I tell you about saying that?” I turned to her and backed her into the corner, “I don’t really like that word.”  
“You called yourself it last night, I was only joking.” She stammered.  
“I didn’t find your joke very funny.” My hand wrapped around her throat.  
“Michael, stop it.” Blaire choked out.   
“The next time you say that, you’re dead to me.” I gripped tighter, “And to everyone else.”  
“Michael,” She gasped, “You’re ki-killing me.” I looked at her face which was turning a bright shade of red, then let go of her. She ran to the other side of the elevator. The door opened and she looked at me, “You can find your own fucking ride to Sydney.” She walked towards the door and I grabbed her wrist.  
“You’re not going anywhere.” I pulled her back and hit the fifth floor button, then closed the doors, “You will take me to Sydney and you will not argue with me again, do you understand me, darling?” She nodded and I let go of her wrist then hit the first floor button again. We sat down after getting our breakfast from the small buffet.  
“Seven?” She whispered.  
“Seven?” I asked, then realized what she was talking about, “Oh, seven, I tend to be really violent.”  
“No shit, Sherlock.” She took a bite of her cereal then met my glaring eyes, “Sorry.” She finished her cereal, “Let’s just go so I can get this over with.”  
“Atta girl.” I smiled at her, finishing my apple juice.  
“Don’t smile,” She laughed, “It’s weird coming from you.”  
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I told her, half-joking.  
“So, since I’m driving, I get to pick the music.” She skipped out to the car with her old clothes and other bags, “And you have to deal with it.”   
“Awesome.” I rolled my eyes. I opened the console once we get in the car. She had already put in an Ed Sheeran CD and started driving. I pulled her CDs out and started going through them.   
“If you see one you like just tell me.” She told me.  
“What about the ones I don’t like?” I asked her, flipping over a One Direction CD.  
“Put them back.” Blaire leaned forward and skipped a track.  
“Nah.” I rolled down the window and threw it out.  
“Michael!” She yelled. I picked up a Katy Perry CD and threw it out the window also, “Would you stop that?”  
“No.” I looked at a Big Time Rush CD, “Seriously?” I asked her.  
“It was a phase. Plus some of their songs are- Michael! Quit it!” I threw that CD as well. I dug further into the pile and pulled out a 5 Seconds of Summer CD.  
“Actually?” I raised an eyebrow.  
“Yeah. The drummer, his name is Ashton, is super cute.” She grinned, “Put it in, if you want. I think you might like them.”   
“Rather not.” I pulled the two covers apart, broke the CD in half, and threw it out the window, but kept the front cover.  
“Michael! That one is one of my favorites!” She yelled.  
“Don’t raise your voice at me.” I turned to her. I looked back down at the booklet in the CD and opened it up to Ashton’s page. I glared at the small picture of Ashton and Eve before pulling out my lighter and setting the bottom left corner on fire.   
“Michael, what the fuck!” Blaire practically screamed as I threw the booklet out the window.  
“Think about it, idiot.” I rolled the window back up.  
“Oh, it’s Ashton, the one that your sister is.” She took a deep breath, “Oh.” I went back to looking through her CDs.   
“We can listen to this one.” I pulled out a My Chemical Romance CD.  
“You like them?” She asked me.  
“I should be more surprised that you do.” I ejected the Ed Sheeran CD and reached for the window button.  
“Please don’t.” She looked over at me. I sighed and put the CD back in its case and put the My Chemical Romance one in.  
“Black Parade, easily one of the greatest albums of all time.” I leaned back in the seat. Once the CD was over she spoke up again.  
“Do you want lunch?” Blaire asked.  
“Yeah, that continental breakfast kinda sucked.” I replied.  
“Anywhere in particular?” She exited the freeway.  
“Uhh, I wouldn’t mind Panda Express.” I shrugged.  
“Panda Express it is,” She was quiet for a moment, “You gonna kill me if I don’t?”  
“I’m in a good mood right now, don’t ruin it.” I glanced at her.  
“Alright, Mr. Good Mood, You can tell me a story then. I don’t know anything about you besides seven out of ten reasons you’re kind of crazy.” She said as we walked in.  
“Well, one time, when I was 13, it was exactly a year after my parents died, I was feeling pretty upset, which is normal. But, Eve decided that me being sad just wouldn’t do so she took me out all day that day, so I would have a happy memory on that day instead of a sad one.” I told her after we ordered.  
“Why are you so angry at her then? She seems like a nice person?” Blaire took a drink of her soda.  
“She was great before Ashton started coming around,” I replied, “We were best friends and we did everything together. But, once she started getting serious with him, she didn’t have time for me anymore. If she wasn’t out with Ashton, he was at our house for dinner or she was texting him or calling him. She had been friends with him or dating him since I was like nine years old, but they weren’t that serious until a few years after mum and dad died, and suddenly it all changed.”  
“Changed how?” She asked.  
“Like I said, she just never had time for me anymore. Once I finally got used to them dating and him always being around, they got engaged. So she was spending all the time she wasn’t at work planning that. Then they got married, and things were okay for a while, I guess. But then she got pregnant and she really only focused on Ashton and Greyson.” I looked down at my plate.   
“Do you want me to stop asking about it?” She asked, quietly.  
“Sometimes it helps to talk about it, sometimes it doesn’t.” I shrugged.  
“Is this helping?” She set down her fork. I looked up at her, and her eyes were full of concern. Genuine concern, it was nice and I felt myself smile a little.  
“Yeah, it is.” I replied with a small smile.  
“You know, sometimes I forget you almost killed me earlier today.” She sighed, “So this sister of yours, she’s married to Ashton Irwin, who you don’t like at all. You scare your nephew shitless, and you’re off your meds. Do I have this all right so far?”  
“That is correct.” I nodded, “Are you ready for number eight?”  
“I guess so.” She leaned back in her chair.  
“You’re not the first person I’ve almost killed.” I whispered.  
“Michael,” She said quietly, “You’re... You’re joking, right?”  
I shook my head, “When I was younger, I had a lot of problems with controlling my mood swings since it was all pretty new to me, and one day when I was ten, Calum made me really angry, and I hit him, and I pinned him to the ground, and I almost choked him. But Eve walked in, and since she was twenty one at the time, she was able to get me off of him. I just can’t believe he still wanted to be friends with me after that.”   
“Holy shit.” She finished her plate.  
“I’m sorry about that, by the way. It’s like there’s a second me inside of me, and sometimes I can’t stop him from coming out.” I explained, then glanced at the clock. My eyes narrowed, “It’s been three hours. Why the fuck aren’t we in Sydney?”  
“Well, I uh, I wanted to have some fun,” She looked down, “So we’re going by Jervis Bay.”  
“I need to get to Sydney.” I glared at her.  
“It will only be an hour, I swear,” She looked back at me, “I’ve always wanted to go.”  
“Fine,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair, “An hour. Nothing more.”   
“Thank you so much!” She got up from her seat and hugged me.  
“Okay, maybe don’t do that.” I shrunk away from her.  
“Sorry,” She stood back up, “Let’s go, though! Don’t want to keep your family waiting. I’m sure they’re dying to see you.”  
“You have no idea.” I smirked, going back to the car.  
\--  
“Wake up!” Blaire yelled and smacked my chest, “We’re here!”  
“Ow, fuck.” I mumbled, opening my eyes and seeing the beach from the parking lot we were in.  
“Put your swim trunks on! Let’s go!” Blaire ran out of the car and got in the trunk and dug out her swimsuit.  
“What am I supposed to wear?” I got out of the car as she shut the trunk.  
“Um, I have scissors in my glovebox. You could cut your old jeans.” She suggested.  
“Okay, I guess I’ll do that.” I got my old jeans out of the back seat and sat back in my seat, getting the scissors and setting to work.  
“I’ll be back.” She ran to one of the changing tents and I looked back down at my jeans, “You ready?” She walked back over to me with her swimsuit on.  
“Yeah,” I stood up, in my shitty cut jeans, which caused her to laugh a little, “You look nice.” I mumbled.   
“I’m sorry?” She turned to me, “Did you just compliment me?”  
“Uhh, yeah.” My cheeks turned red.  
“Well, thank you Michael.” She smiled. We stood there for a couple minutes until she spoke again, “Uh, let’s go.”   
“Yeah, okay.” I smiled a little as we walked to the beach.  
“Have you been to the beach before?” She asked me.  
“Not since I was like seven. We went on a family vacation for Eve’s eighteenth birthday.” I replied.  
“So, then you always know,” She bit her lip and looked at me, “The last one to the water is a rotten egg!” Blaire took off running towards the water like a five year old.  
“That’s not fair!” I called, running after her.  
“You can’t catch me!” She called over her shoulder. I ran faster after her and caught up to her. I wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up, carrying her into the water. I dropped her once it was deep enough and she started laughing. She stood back up and splashed me.   
“Stop it!” I laughed. She kept splashing me until I grabbed her wrist. She instantly froze, “No, don’t be scared of me.” She relaxed and I pulled her closer, “I really don’t want you to be afraid of me anymore.”  
“Michael.” She looked up at me, “I’m not afraid of you.” I leaned down so my face was inches away from hers. She moved so her nose was touching mine, and we were both leaning in when a huge wave crashed over us.  
“Sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck.  
“It’s, uh, it’s okay.” She smiled.  
“Let’s, uhh, let’s just enjoy the beach.” I suggested.  
“Yeah, that sounds good.” She told me.  
-  
“What time is it?” Blaire asked, as we walked back from the snow cone stand.  
“Holy shit,” I checked the time on my iPod, “It’s almost five.”   
“We’ve been here longer than an hour, haven’t we?” She took a bite of her snow cone.  
“Yeah, it’s been three hours. But I’m having fun, so I don’t mind.” I smiled at her.  
“Good.” She looked down, “But we should probably get you to Sydney. We still have three hours,” She yawned, “But all this swimming kind of made me tired.”  
“I would suggest I drive, but I don’t have my license, plus I’m complete shit at driving.” I replied as we walked back to the car.  
“Maybe we should get another hotel,” She picked up my shirt and put it on as a coverup, “Driving drowsy is very dangerous.”  
“Yeah, I guess,” I sighed, “But we’re leaving early in the morning and driving straight there.” I got in the car as she started it and pulled out of the parking lot.  
“Yeah, of course.” She smiled. We drove in silence for a little bit until the radio broke the silence.  
“We have breaking news,” The radio host said, “It appears that there was an escape at the mental hospital in Melbourne. The escapee was sixteen year old Michael Clifford, and he is no longer in Melbourne, according to the police.He has black and white dyed hair, and is about six feet tall. If you think you see him, please contact your local authorities.” Her eyes widened and she slammed on the brakes, pulling onto the shoulder.  
“What the fuck did they just say?” She turned the car off, “You better tell me what the fuck is going on, Michael. Those cop cars yesterday, they were after you, weren’t they?”  
“Look, Blaire,” I turned to face her, “They think I’m crazy, but I swear to God I’m not. I don’t belong in that place, so I got out.”  
“You said yourself that you’re a little crazy.” She crossed her arms.  
“Nothing that going to therapy once a month wouldn’t fix. I didn’t need to be institutionalized.” I replied.  
“Then why the hell are they sending the police after you?” She suddenly yelled.  
“Because he thinks I’m crazy!” I shouted back, “But I’m not, dammit!” I punched the dashboard, “I’m not crazy.” I whispered, a few tears running down my cheeks.  
“Well, who is he?” She asked.  
“Ashton,” I replied quietly, “He made this whole thing up, I’m sure of it. He just wanted me out of the picture so Eve only had to think about him and Greyson, and not me.”  
“That is the most incredibly stupid theory I have ever heard,” She looked over at me, “You’re insane.”  
“If you ever say that again, you won’t live to see graduation day.” My eyes narrowed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my gun. She looked down at it, then back up at me, “Drive.”  
“And if I don’t?” She whispered.  
“Then I will.” I cocked the gun and raised it higher, “Now, drive.” She nodded and pulled the car back on to the street. Once we got to the hotel I followed her up to our new room. When the door shut, she turned to me.  
“Why the hell do you have a gun?” She whispered.  
I shrugged, “I stole it from some guy when you were in the bathroom at the beach. Now, stop talking and get some sleep so we can get there tomorrow.”  
“Are you lying to me?” She leaned against the wall.  
“One, why would I?” I looked at her, “Two, where else would I have gotten it from?”  
“Nine?” She took a deep breath and walked over to her bed.  
“I watched my mum and dad die.” I replied, laying down on my bed.   
Blaire sat on the edge of her bed, facing me, “You pulled a gun on me and I still feel bad for you.” She fell back on her bed.  
“You’re in love.” I smirked.  
“Excuse me?” She sat back up.  
“You still feel bad for me because you’re in love with me.” I stated.  
“I never said that.” She stood up and crossed her arms.  
“I don’t hear you denying it.” My smirk grew.  
“I’m not-” She started, then paced back and forth.  
“You can’t even finish that sentence. You know it’s true.” I stood up.  
“Why’d you choose my car?” She snapped at me, then took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, just, why did you choose my car?”  
“Call it fate.” I took a few steps closer to her.  
“Michael,” She tensed up, “Why me?”  
“You know why,” I whispered, “Every guy in school loves you, but not as much as I do.” I took another step towards her.   
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She took a step back and her back hit the wall. I took one last step towards her and leaned in. Her eyes closed when our lips met and her arms wrapped around my neck as mine wrapped around her waist. After about a minute, we broke apart.  
“Ten is that I killed two people.” I whispered, our faces still centimeters apart.   
“You what?” She pulled her face away from mine.  
“When I was twelve, I--” I started, but she cut me off.  
“I don’t want your fucking explanation, you’re a murderer.” She pushed me off and backed away from me, “You are insane.”  
“What did you call me, bitch?” I pushed her and her back hit the wall, “What did I tell you about saying that?” I moved closer to her, “I told you that if you said that again, you wouldn’t live to see graduation.” I put my hands on the wall by her head so she couldn’t try and run. She reached up and grabbed one of my arms and tried to move.  
“Michael, what is your problem?!” She yelled, “Let go of me! Just let me go home!”  
“You aren’t going home, sweetie,” I moved my face closer to hers, “You’re never leaving me. It’s going to be me and you forever.”  
“Let me go!” She reached up and slapped me causing my left hand to grab my face. She ran to the other side of the room, “Michael, just calm down and let’s go home. Please.” She begged me, crying.  
“Oh, baby,” I walked over to her, “Don’t cry. Let’s just go to bed and we’ll go to Sydney in the morning. I’ll see my family, and then we can go back to Melbourne. I promise.” I reached out for her hand and she pulled away.  
“Don’t touch me.” She mumbled. Blaire walked over to her bed and laid down, curled up in a ball. I lay down next to her, only to have her push me off the bed seconds later. I frowned and lay down in the other bed.


	4. Day 3 (Michael's POV)

I jumped when the alarm went off that morning. I rolled over and turned it off, then looked at Blaire, who hadn’t moved. I got out of bed and sat next to her on hers, “Babe, wake up,” I shook her gently. Blaire’s eyes shot open and she moved away from me, “Good morning, darling.”  
“Michael,” She caught her breath, “Get off my bed.”  
“Get up and get dressed,” I stood up, “We’ll get some breakfast then go to Sydney.”   
“You’re sure you want to go to Sydney still?” She sat up and stretched, “If we go home I promise they’ll know you didn’t kidnap me.”  
“I know you miss home right now, but I have to do this.” I smiled at her, “It’ll only take today, then we can go home tomorrow.”  
“Promise?” She stood up.  
“Anything for you, angel.” I kissed her forehead and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  
“Michael?” She called after me, “Can I borrow one of your shirts for today? I’m kind of out.”  
“Yeah, of course. There’s one folded up on the desk.” I called back. After about ten minutes I walked back out into the room.  
“Ready to go?” She asked me.  
“Yeah,” I replied, “Also, I’m really sorry about last night. My anger got out of control, and I’m really sorry. I love you, Blaire.”  
“It’s alright,” She looked down, “Well, it’s not alright, but I’m glad you apologized.” She looked back up at me, “Let’s just get on the road.”  
\--  
“Why don’t you just take it easy since you’ve been driving for the past two days and just relax in the hotel room?” I suggested to Blaire when we first arrived in our hotel room, right after we had stopped for lunch.  
“I can’t really relax until you tell me why you had a gun.” She sat down on the bed.  
“Have a gun.” I corrected her, “And it’s just for self defense, you know. In case anyone tries to hurt my girl, then I’ll hurt them ten times as bad.” I sat down next to her.  
“Okay, two things. One, if you want this to even try to work at all, you have to stop all this. Carrying the gun, threatening people. All that.” She looked at me, “Two, I thought you got rid of the gun.” She crossed her arms.  
“I never said anything about getting rid of the gun. I need it.” I replied.  
“Why do you need it?” She stood up in front of me.  
“I told you, to keep you and I safe.” I stood up as well.  
“If I’m staying in the hotel room, and you’re visiting your family, then why do you need the gun, Michael?” She raised an eyebrow.   
“I told you, I have my reasons, and I feel a whole lot safer when I have it.” I replied.  
“What reasons?” She crossed her arms, “And if you say to protect me, then why don’t I have the gun?” Instead of answering, I leaned towards her and pressed my lips against hers.  
“Since I love you so much,” I whispered against her lips, “I’ll give you number eleven as a bonus.” I gave her a quick kiss, “I’m going to kill Ashton.” I started kissing her again.  
“Michael,” She tried to push me off and I pushed harder, “Michael, get off me!” She yelled and pushed me away, “You’re joking, right? This is just one of your insane jokes, right?”  
“Quite the contrary,” I replied, “This has been my plan all along. I’ve wanted to kill that fucker ever since he married my sister.” I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes.   
“Michael, no!” She yelled again, “You can’t kill innocent people!”  
“I’m already dead to them, so why does it fucking matter!?” I shouted back.  
“You’re not dead to them!” She pushed me, “They just got a life and you can’t stand that it doesn’t involve you! The world doesn’t revolve around Michael Clifford, believe it or not!”   
“Shut up!” I screamed, shoving her against the wall. She sat there for a minute, just long enough for me to grab a bedsheet and throw her against the wall next to the bed, “You’re not going anywhere, you bitch.” I spat and tied the sheet tightly around her wrists, and ripped the bedsheet, tying the ripped end to the bedpost.  
“Michael, you can’t do this!” She told me.  
I pushed her so she was sitting down on the bed, then I straddled her and whispered in her ear, “When I get back, it’ll be you and me forever.” I pressed a kiss to her lips and walked out of the room.  
\---  
“Eve?” I pulled my key out of the lock and opened the door, “I’m home.”  
“Uncle Mikey!” One year old Greyson walked up to me, grabbing onto the knee of my jeans.  
“Hi, Grey.” I reached down and picked him up, “How are you?” I smiled at him.  
“Greyson, baby,” I heard Eve calling, “Where’d you go?” Her voice grew closer as she spoke and she appeared in the hallway. Her eyes widened when she saw me, “Get away from him.” She whispered, then took Greyson from me before calling up the stairs, “Ash, could you come here please?”  
“Hey, sis.” I smirked at her, “No need to have a family reunion for me. You look a little disgusted. Did Ashton cook again?”  
“Michael, you’re dangerous. You aren’t supposed to be here.” She narrowed her eyes as Ashton came down the stairs.  
“Michael?” Ashton’s eyes widened as well, “How are you here? What are you doing?”  
“I’m not dangerous,” I chuckled, “You both made that up. You wanted me out of your life. If anyone’s insane in this family,” I turned to Ashton, “It’s you.”  
Eve handed Greyson to Ashton and took a step closer to me, “Michael, nobody ever said you were insane. You were having some anger issues, you need to get those straightened out.” She moved to put her hand on my shoulder, but put it back at her side at the last second, “And we don’t want you out of our lives. You’re my little brother and my best friend. Life would be hell without you.” She turned around, “Greyson, why don’t you go play in your room?” He nodded and Ashton set him down, watching as he ran off.  
“Then why did you send me away?” I suddenly yelled and wrapped my hand around my gun in my pocket.  
“Because you needed to get your emotions sorted out,” Eve looked close to tears, “And you know that you were always welcome to come back once you got out. The right way. And you still are.” She whispered, “Please, if you go back, you can get this sorted out. They can help you.”  
“I don’t need help, Eve!” I screamed and clenched the gun tighter.  
“Michael, please. Just, calm down. We can sit down with some tea or coffee and talk about this rationally.” Eve practically begged.  
“That’s not what I came here to do.” I let go of the gun and put my hand back at my side, “I am not insane, neither of you had to leave me, and if it weren’t for Ashton, you wouldn’t have.”   
“Michael, what are you here to do?” Her eyes grew even wider, “What are you planning? Just, please, don’t hurt Ashton or Greyson.” She looked at Ashton, “Call the police.” She told him quietly.  
I pulled the gun out of my pocket and cocked it, “Don’t go anywhere, and don’t call anyone.”  
“Michael, don’t do this.” Ashton pleaded, “You are not a bad person. You are a very good person, you just have a little bit of work to do on yourself. If you go back, you’ll be fine in no time, and you can come live with us.”  
“You’re right. I’m not a bad person, you are. You took my sister away from me, you convinced her I was psychotic, when in reality she’s one of the only people who can keep me sane,” I backed off from yelling for a moment, “Well, was.”  
“Michael, please,” Eve looked at me, tears in her eyes, “Nobody can ever take me from you. You’re family, part of the only family I have left.”  
“Had.” I aimed the gun at Ashton.  
“Michael!” Blaire’s voice came from the doorway.  
“Who are you?” Eve looked at her.  
“Michael, put the gun down.” She walked up to me, “You know you don’t want to do this. Think of how bad it will hurt your sister.”  
“Get out of the way, Blaire.” My eyes narrowed as I tried to aim at Ashton from behind her.   
“No, Michael. Not until you put it down.” She tried to make me look her in the eyes.  
“I can’t!” I yelled at her, “Now move!”  
“Make me!” She reached toward the gun and I pulled it down away from her and shoved her out of the way. Blaire jumped back in front of me and grabbed the gun once more, I tried to pull it away but she held on. Once I thought I had clear shot at Ashton, I closed my eyes and fired and heard two screams. I opened them and looked at Eve and then to Ashton.  
“Why aren’t you dead?” I narrowed my eyes at him, and he looked down at the floor. I looked over at Eve, who looked down as well, “No, that wasn’t me.” I looked down and saw a blood stain on the left side of Blaire’s shirt, “She can’t be dead. Eve, help me, help her, do something!” I screamed.   
“Michael.” She whispered, her hand over her mouth. I stared down at Blaire as she put a hand on my shoulder, “Michael?” She tried to get my attention, “Michael, you stopped responding again.” I looked up from my shoes to see Christine The Therapist sitting in her chair, waiting for me to answer her questions.  
“I’m sorry,” I swallowed and cleared my throat, “What was your question?”  
“It’s fine,” She smiled, “Are you alright?”  
“I want to get better.” I admitted.


	5. Epilogue pt.1 (Eve's POV)

“I’m so glad that Michael gets to come home today.” I smiled at Ashton as I took his hand. Greyson took Ashton’s other hand with a grin as we all walked into the hospital. I walked up to the desk and smiled at the nurse, “I’m here to pick up Michael Clifford.”  
“Alright, we’ll have someone bring him out. You can just take a seat, it will be a few minutes.” She smiled at me. Ashton and I sat down, and Greyson climbed onto Ashton’s lap.   
“Do we get Uncle Mikey back?” He looked up at us.  
“Yeah, we do, baby.” I smiled at him, fixing his hair. We heard a door open and we all looked up to see Michael and some nurse standing there, the nurse setting his bag down and going back into the hospital.  
“Uncle Mikey!” Greyson jumped off of Ashton’s lap and ran over to a smiling Michael as Ashton and I stood up. Michael squatted down to his level.  
“Hey, bud.” He smiled at Greyson and looked up to me as if he was asking permission to pick him up. I nodded at him with a grin and Michael picked Greyson up.  
“I missed you.” I told Michael, giving him a hug.  
“I missed you too, Eve.” He smiled then turned to Ashton, “I hate to say it, but I kind of missed you too.” He mumbled.  
“Give him a hug, you loser.” I pushed Ashton towards Michael.  
“No, don’t do that,” Michael pulled away a little until Ashton actually hugged him, “Okay, fine.”   
“Also, uhh, in case you didn’t notice, we’re kind of having another baby.” I told Michael, afraid of how he was going to react. Michael looked at my belly, then looked at me grinning.  
“Is it a boy or a girl?” He smiled.  
“A girl.” I smiled back, “We were thinking of naming her Rose. Or you can call her Rosie, we know how much you loved that name when we were picking names the first time around.”  
“I’m so happy for you.” Michael grinned and hugged me again.  
“Come on,” I put my arm around his shoulder, “Let’s go home.”


	6. Epilogue pt.2 (Michael's POV)

“Welcome back.” Calum grinned at me as I walked into homeroom, “We missed you here in hell. But hey, we’re seniors now, so it’s not so bad.”  
“Now we kind of rule hell, don’t we?” I raised an eyebrow and laughed.   
“Damn right,” He laughed as well, “Hey, there’s Blaire.” He glanced at the front of the room then wiggled his eyebrows at me.   
“Shut up, she doesn’t want to talk to me.” I rolled my eyes, “She probably didn’t even notice I was gone.”  
“Dude, are you serious?” Calum stared at me like I had just said the dumbest thing ever, “She asked me about you pretty much every day. Sometimes several times a day.”  
“Wait, what?” I almost choked on my own spit, “Should I go talk to her? I mean she’s with Luke though.”  
“Yeah, but Luke definitely knows you like her, so he’ll leave if you go over there.” Calum smiled.  
“Okay,” I smiled, “If I crash and burn, I’m counting on you to not make fun of me.”   
“Will do.” He pushed me in her general direction.  
I walked over to Blaire and Luke with a smile, but then realized I didn’t have anything to say, so I said the first thing that came to my mind, “You’re not dead.” I smiled at her, then mentally slapped myself for being so stupid.  
“No, I’m not,” She looked at me, confused, “And neither are you.”   
“What are you two talking about?” Luke glanced between us.  
“Luke Hemmings exits stage left.” Blaire pushed Luke over towards Calum.  
“Hi.” I smiled.  
“Hello.” She smiled also, “I missed you at school.”  
“I missed you too,” I replied, “Is, uhh, is your CD collection okay?”  
“Yeah? It’s fine. I don’t know how much of it you’d actually like.” She sat on top of a desk.  
“Not much, but I’m a really big MCR fan.” I smiled, “Sorry, it’s just, I had this weird dream the other night that someone ruined a bunch of CDs in your car.”  
“Well, I do have every MCR CD. And that’s a really weird dream,” She took a deep breath, “Why me, Michael?”  
“Maybe it’s fate,” I smiled, “And it’s telling me to ask you to come over for pizza.”  
“Like as a date?” She grinned.  
I laced my fingers with hers, “It’s been a dream of mine.”  
She looked down, then looked back up at me, blushing, “I’d love to.”  
“You know, if this goes well, maybe we’ll end up going to Jervis Bay together sometime.” I smiled at her, and thanked god that this wasn’t a dream.


End file.
